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Undoubtedly the most famous island in French
Polynesia, Bora Bora is located 280 km north-west of
Tahiti only one hour away by plane. So much has been
written about Bora Bora, the “Pearl of the Pacific”, yet it is hard to find the
right words to describe its magic and the beauty.
The airport was built on a palm fringed “motu”. Your
arrival at Bora Bora will definitely leave you with one
of the nicest memories of your trip. Your flight will
be followed by a short boat ride over the lagoon along
the numerous islets, before reaching the village of Vaitape, located on the main island.
The lagoon is three times the size of the land mass and
offers an amazing range of hues of blue and turquoise, as
you navigate its crystal waters. Therefore, the lagoon
offers a multitude of activities and excursions, one of
the most popular being the shark feeding where, from
chest-deep water, you watch local divers feed
reef sharks by hand. It's a lot of fun and totally safe.
Besides, the lagoon hosts a multi-colour aquatic fauna
(sting and manta rays, sharks, tropical fish) that can
be observed by outrigger canoe, boat or during diving
explorations. Off the Point Matira, there is an area
where the huge and graceful manta rays congregate for
your viewing pleasure. There are other types of ray such
as the beautiful spotted ray and the friendly gray ray,
which love to be petted during the "ray feeding"
excursions.
The island itself is rather small and can be circled by
car in about an hour. Take a 4x4 excursion and enjoy the
stunning panoramic view points, and the two US cannons
left by American G.I.s who were stationed on Bora Bora
during World War II.
Most of the recent hotels or resorts have been built on
“motu” in the lagoon surrounding Bora Bora. They mostly
face into the lagoon and the mountain of Bora Bora and
offer privacy, pristine water and extraordinary views.
No matter what kind of vacation you are planning, Bora
Bora is a must when visiting French Polynesia.
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Main Figures |
|
Archipelago |
Society Islands |
|
Main
village |
Vaitape |
|
Surface |
38
square km |
|
Population |
5,757
(census 2002) |
|
Highest Peak |
Mt
Otemanu (727 m) |
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